manual blues ebook

8/4/2019 Manual Blues eBook

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NEXT LEVEL GUITAR

BLUES GUITARWRITTEN LESSON MANUAL

-written by David Taub


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INTRODUCTION:

Hello good people! David Taub here and I want to take a second to thank you for checking out this Next LevelGuitar instructional product. I think you will find that my teaching methods are of the best available on the markettoday. I have successfully taught thousands of students, both privately and online, all over the world and I amdedicated to getting your playing to the next level in the fastest and most efficient manner.

This book of written lessons is an excellent tool and reference manual to develop and enhance your guitar skills.Use these instructional materials to help open up guitar avenues and to examine different chords and rhythms,lead guitar techniques, learning the fretboard, music theory,scales, and the world of playing over chord changes.

If you dont keep a practice log you want to start one for sure. A three ring binder with filler paper works best. Printout this booklet of written lessons and keep it with all other music reference materials in the three ring binder.Keep these items handy so you can refer to them when studying and practicing.

Add filler paper to your binder and keep accurate records in your practice log of the items you are working on,what needs work, chord changes, progressions, songs, original material, scales, etc. Date the entries and keeptrack of your progress as you move forward in your guitar journey. Just like settings goals in life you want to setmusical goalsand then go out there and achieve them.

Remember to follow my structured curriculum, keep on practicing the right things, and keep developing your ear.Dont overwhelm yourself by trying to take on too many new things at once. Take these lessons and techniques instages and slow and steady wins the race. Some of the more advanced lead guitar avenues will take time to

digest.

One of the keys is consistency. Keep trying to put those guitars in your hands every day, even if its only for 10-15minutes. You dont necessarily need an hour block of time each day to learn guitar. Those little pockets of timewhere you have a spare ten minutes that you can practice really add up.

Also make it easy for yourself to practice. Buy a guitar stand and keep your guitar out on the stand so it isaccessible to you at all times. Keep the guitar on the stand in a room you are in the most. This way you will bemuch more likely to grab it and practice when you have that free ten minute pocket of time. Dont keep your guitarpacked up in its case under your bed or packed away in the closet. Leave it out and make it accessible.

Like with anything new and different on the instrument dive into these materials with an open mind. Know that ifyou practice these techniques, work hard, keep honing your skills and refining your art that these methods will

bring you results.

Enjoy these materials and please let me know if you have any questions. I always welcome your insights andfeedback as I am constantly tweaking my instructional products to make them the best they can be. You canemail me at [email protected]

Stay positive and remember that your guitar playing is an evolution.

And please check out my full on video instructional website at www.nextlevelguitar.com

now lets get to it!

I wish you the best in all your musical endeavors.Thanks again, enjoy the journey, and as always..ROCK ON!David Taubwww.nextlevelguitar.com

Copyright Next Level Guitar Inc., 2011 - all rights reserved unauthorized duplication or distribution of any part of this book is prohibited


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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Written Lesson PageIntroduction .............................................................................................................. 2Table of contents ..................................................................................................... 3Getting started ......................................................................................................... 4Blues rhythms - The I-IV-V 12-bar blues ................................................................. 5Chords Dominant 7

thchords ................................................................................. 6

Notes on the fretboard ............................................................................................. 7Lead Guitar rhythm, the ride, note choice, & phrasing ......................................... 8Lead Guitar the big Four ...................................................................................... 9The choices when soloing ....................................................................................... 10Key Signature and chord analyzing ......................................................................... 11Example progressions and soloing options Major Key......................................... 12-13Example progressions and soloing options Minor Key......................................... 14The Minor Pentatonic scale ..................................................................................... 15The Minor Pentatonic Expanded I Scale ................................................................. 16The Minor Pentatonic Expanded II Scale ................................................................ 17The Minor Pentatonic scale five box scales ......................................................... 18The Minor Pentatonic Blues scale ........................................................................... 19The Minor Pentatonic Blues Expanded II Scale ...................................................... 20

The Minor Pentatonic Blues scale all five box scales .............................................. 21Spicing up the Minor Pentatonic Blues scale .......................................................... 22The Major Pentatonic scale ..................................................................................... 23Major Pentatonic Sus4 scale ................................................................................... 24Major Pentatonic Sus4 scale links ........................................................................... 25Top ten key hints to get your playing to the next level ............................................ 26-27Chord construction .................................................................................................. 28-29Building chords from the Major scale ...................................................................... 30Circle of fifths ........................................................................................................... 31Order of sharps & flats ............................................................................................ 32Blank tablature staff paper (document your favorite licks & riffs) ............................ 33-35

Copyright Next Level Guitar Inc., 2011 - all rights reserved unauthorized duplication or distribution of any part of this book is prohibited


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GETTING STARTEDKeep in mind that I want to give you the most complete guitar curriculum possible. This does not mean you haveto master every lead guitar avenue or scale before moving on to the next. In these materials I teach many leadguitar avenues. Some will be more challenging than others and of course take more time to learn and apply. Butover time you will find the principles and techniques start to sink in and eventually will become automatic.

With all the materials out there today and with the ease of locating materials online it sure can be overwhelming.So remember not to take on too much at once or you will become overwhelmed and frustrated. Slow and steadywins the race. You dont want to rush things and then end up skimming over important topics leaving voids in yourplaying.

Its important to take the extra time to learn about the why things work as I write out in the lessons throughoutthis book. Learning the why things work will give you the musical knowledge to blast these principles andtechniques across all your playing. It will give you the lead guitar confidence to be able to instantly know whatavenues are possible when soloing and improvising.

Thats the trick, to use these lessons as templates or vehicles to learn the why things work, and then developthem into your guitar arsenal through practical application. Then you have the tools to blast thes playingtechniques across all your playing at any given time, in any given jam, and in any given song.

Dont forget that as you further develop your lead guitar skills you also want to keep practicing and developingyour rhythm skills. Your rhythm and timing are critical elements to your overall abilities on the guitar. Never forgetthat your lead playing will really only ever be as good as your rhythm playing.

As I dive further and further into lead guitar techniques and concepts in this book, keep in mind that these verysystematic and methodical techniques will seem a bit daunting at first. However, these will soon become secondnature and automatic, they will become engrained in your playing style. You wont have to think about what to playso much as it will eventually become second nature. Then you will be letting your ear take you to all the rightnotes and chords and not having to think about techniques and application so much but rather focus on emotionand feel in your playing. The more you practice and apply these materials the faster you will be on autopilot.

That said, throughout my teaching career I have found that first learning things systematically will get yourplaying to the next level the fastest. Remember we are building your guitar chops and you need to have that solidfoundation to build upon as you move along in your guitar journey.

Because many blues progressions utilize I-IV-V chord changes you will often be utilizing Minor Pentatonic & Blues

and/or Major Pentatonic as potential lead playing avenues. Pentatonic scales are killer scales to play over bluesand over I-IV-V changes. They just ooze that minor bluesy vibe or sweet major vibe.

Many big name players and rock bands have made careers using pentatonic scales. However, I urge you to trysome of the other suggestions that I list, dont limit yourself. You will also want to eventually learn the modes ofthe major scale. Modes like Dorian, Aeolian, and Mixolydian can sound awesome over Blues progressions whenutilized properly.

KEY POINT:Keep in mind that at this stage of your lead guitar playing journey there is just no substitutefor practicing the right things, learning scales, studying the sounds and relationships between chordsand scales, developing your ear, practicing and honing your skills using jam tracks, and continuallypushing yourself and refining your art.

Remember that your guitar playing is an evolution. Stay positive, keep with it, swing for the fences, and also giveyourself plenty of fun time on the guitar to go along with all the hard work and studying.

YOU CAN DO IT!


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BLUES RHYTHMS THE I-IV-V 12-BAR BLUESYou will hear me state over and over the importance of understanding and analyzing the chords in a given chordprogression in order to get the full roadmap of soloing avenues. Its the chords that give the complete lead guitarscenario. The key only gives you one small piece of the puzzle.

You need to know what are the chords in the progression, when are chords changing, and how much musicaltime, or measures, are spent on each chord. This way you can play the proper rhythm structure and also you canplay all lead guitar avenues available including playing over each chord independently.

Understanding the chords within the rhythmic structure of the song or jam is crucial as its the chords you will besoloing on top of. You need to know and understand the various chord structures and pattern variations so youcan readily adapt your solo skills to play over the chords.

There are many types of blues rhythms but the most common is the I-IV-V 12-bar blues. (If you are not familiarwith the numbering system of the chords then please check out the lesson on chord construction on pages 28-29). Often these blues progressions will contain dominant chords such as 7

thchords.

The 12-bar means that the song or jam is divided into 12 parts or measures. Then you just keep repeating thatsame 12-bar pattern over and over for the length of the song. Other common blues progressions include the 8-bar, 16-bar, and 24-bar blues.

The traditional 12-bar blues has a total of 12 bars or measures of the I-IV-V chords that keep repeating in 12-barblocks over and over. Two of the most common 12 bar patterns or arrangements are the slow change and the fast

change. You will need to be VERY familiar with both.

The only difference between the two is the 2nd

bar or second measure. The slow change stays on the I chord for 4bars at first while the fast change at first goes from one bar on the one chord to one bar on the four chord thenback to the one chord for two bars, (see diagram below).

12 Bar Slow Change:Measure: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12Chord: I I I I IV IV I I V IV I V

12 Bar Fast Change:Measure: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Chord: I IV I I IV IV I I V IV I V

The fast change is often used for slower tempo blues. With a little practice you will soon know the patterns byheart and can whip them out instantly, they will become automatic.

These 12 bar patterns are the rhythmic standards of the blues and soon they will be instantly recognizable. Everwonder why any group of blues musicians can just sit down together and instantly play with a vibe? Its becauseof these standard progressions that are so common in blues music. Everyone knows these and they are ingrainedin the musicians musical vocabulary.

I suggest playing the rhythms to jam tracks to dial in your rhythm chops as well as to develop your ear. Feel thechanges and how long you are on each chord. It wont take long before you get the hang of these standard blues

progressions. Then you can go about making strong solo statements by outlining the chord changes with yourlead lines and landing on strong chord tones, (notes that make up each chord).

Keep in mind that your rhythm playing is absolutely critical - so do not neglect it. I see that mistake made by guitarplayers over and over again. They focus too much on lead playing and not enough on rhythm playing. Keepthings balanced and remember in most band situations that you will be playing rhythm guitar way more than youwill be playing solo guitar. So your lead playing is really only ever as good as your rhythm playing.


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CHORDS Dominant 7th

chordsThere are many different types of seventh chords, i.e. the dominant 7

th, major 7

th, minor 7

th, diminished 7

th, 7 #9s,

etc. There are so many types because a variety of 7ths can be added to a variety of chords.

Blues music makes heavy use of dominant 7th

chords. So you really want to arm yourself with a thoroughknowledge of dominant 7

thchords. These chords are denoted by adding the superscript 7 after the letter of the

chord.

Typically the dominant 7th

chord is built off the fifth or dominant degree of the major scale. The dominant 7th

chordis constructed from the scale degrees of root, 3

rd, 5th, and b7

th. The dominant 7

this so useful and popular

because it is a major type chord with a very strong sound and strong resolution qualities to the ear.

The dominant 7th

is utilized in all genres of music but most commonly seen in blues and jazz. The b7 is what givesthe chord its color, making it sound twangy and bluesy compared to the sweet and jazzy sounds of major seventhchords.

Commit the following dominant seventh chords to memory and try to incorporate them into your daily practiceregimen. Some have various voicings that provide slightly different tones. You will be utilizing these chords all thetime when playing the Blues.

7th chords - (1, 3, 5,b7)

Copyright Next Level Guitar Inc. 2011 - all rights reserved unauthorized duplication or distribution is prohibited

A7

X 0 1 0 2 0

A7

X 0 1 2 3 4

B7

X 2 1 3 0 4

C7

X 3 2 4 1 0

D7

X X 0 2 1 3

G7

3 2 0 0 0 1

E7

0 2 0 1 0 0

E7

0 2 0 1 4 0

E7

0 2 3 1 4 0

6h

string root7th bar chord

1 3 1 2 1 1

5 string root7th bar chord

X 1 3 1 3 1

Low LEGEND HighE A D G B E

1st

fret

2nd

fret

3rd fret

4th fret

Nut


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LEAD GUITAR - Rhythm, The Ride, Note Choice, & Phrasing

Lead playing is something that can identify a player like a signature or fingerprint. Players like Stevie RayVaughan, Eddie Van Halen, BB King, Eric Clapton, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, and Carlos Santana can be identifiedwith a single note. They have a very signature sound and identifiable guitar tone.

As you continue your lead guitar studies and keep up with your practicing, you will find your playing will evolveover time your playing is an evolution. An element of lead playing which may seem simple, like vibrato or stringbending, can takes months and months to develop into a signature statement in your lead guitar bag of tricks.

GEAR/EQUIPMENT Sometimes guitarists think that if they purchase the same guitar, amp, and effects of theirfavorite guitarist that they will cop their signature sound and replicate their tone. You will find that this is not thecase.

Here is a quick story to illustrate this point. When Van Halen was first starting out they opened for some nameacts of the time. Eddie Van Halen was so revolutionary with his guitar playing that he virtually floored the guitarcommunity. One show Van Halen was opening for Ted Nugent and Ted watched in amazement as Eddie playedduring sound check. Ted couldnt believe the sounds he was hearing. After Eddie left the stage Ted then talkedEddies guitar tech into letting him plug into Eddies rig. Ted Nugent starting playing through Eddies gear and

guess what - he sounded like Ted Nugent.

The point is that your tone comes mainly from your fingers and your technique, not the amp or effect. Tone is trulyin your hands and in your heart. Gear can surely be motivating and empowering and point you in a certaindirection, but ultimately your tone is in your hands.

Eddie Van Halen can play any guitar through any amp or effect and will still sound like Eddie Van Halen. Youwant to play through the best gear that you can afford, but spend time developing your own technique and soundand not someone elses.

What you want to accomplish with your lead guitar playing and improvisation is two-fold:

1. Complement the song it all comes back to the song and how the guitar lines complement it and help to getits musical statement and emotions across.

2. Draw people in to your solo you want the listener to latch onto what you are playing. You want to keep thelistener on the edge of their seat wondering, what is he going to play next? You want to have the power to takethe listener on a musical journey with ups and downs and great emotion and passion. You want your leads to tella story. And of course you always want to be aware of melody happening in your guitar lines.

At times many guitarists forget the above two items and are off soloing in their own little world. They forget aboutthe song, the chord changes, and what the other musicians behind them are doing. What happens then is thesong suffers, or the band has to reel the guitarist back into the groove.

Below are four critical parts to great lead playing. Work on all four of these aspects by studying each individually,and then apply them in a musical context.


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LEAD GUITAR - Rhythm, The Ride, Note Choice, & Phrasing THE BIG FOUR

1. Rhythm the rhythm of your notes and licks. Its the way we take the notes we choose to play and do thingsmusically with them. This quite possibly could be the most important element of lead guitar, taking the notes anddoing musically interesting things with them. Repetition is one key component and melody is another.

Repetition is a key to good melody and phrasing. You dont have to play your licks verbatim every time in a leadline, but rather the same in concept. Noodle around on the guitar till you find a killer sounding riff, find the magic.

Then dig into that idea that you like and keep repeating it. Repeat it but try playing it a little different rhythmicallyeach time or maybe hit the same note two or three times one time, or do a bend one time, vary it. These littlevariations of the same lick or idea are critical.

Learn to vary your magical licks both note wise and rhythm wise. Learn a rhythm or rhythmic phrase and thenapply it to some of your favorite licks across all the strings. So when you noodle around and get into a little coolidea keep it keep playing it turn the rhythm around and exploit it. Remember rhythm and melody are key!

2. The Ride I am talking about the ups and downs, the peaks and valleys, the highs and lows in your leadplaying. Its the way your lines move up and down the neck and loud and soft dynamically. It is critical to havethese peaks and valleys in your lead lines. You just dont want to be rambling on and on with straight across theboard flat line playing blah, blah, blah no good.

You want to move your listeners and draw them into your solo. Your solo should have ups and downs and twistsand turns. You dont want only flat straight lines with no emphasis, connections, different rhythms, no dynamics,or sans any musical events or melody.

3.Note choice this may seem pretty obvious but which notes you play are equally important as which notesyou dont play. Note choice is what most musicians focus on but actually most players can benefit from building

their rhythm and ride vocabularies and chops.

For example, if you are playing the blues you have only have five or six main notes to choose from so notechoices are limited. So you better have a very big rhythm and ride bag of tricks because that is what is going tomake your lead lines sound interesting and not boring.

4. Phrasing Basically a phrase is a group of notes that compose a musical thought. Phrasing is all about howyou connect your notes, scales, ideas, and licks. You want to connect your groups of phrases in a manner that

makes good musical sense.

When you dont have a lot of note choices then you really have to concentrate on your phrasing to keep thingsinteresting and different. Some players really excel at phrasing and its very clear when someone is good at it.

Listen to the playing of Stevie Ray Vaughan. The music just flows out of him. His playing is smooth and effortlesswith his musical thoughts and ideas phrasing effortlessly into one another. Almost like he had a direct channelbetween his brain, heart, and fingers. Work on your own personal channel and musical connections, itsinvaluable.


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THE CHOICES WHEN SOLOING

Remember when you are soloing or improvising, you have TWO CHOICES you can:

1. Play what relates to all this means you solo with the same scale or same mode over all the chords. Nomatter what chord is being played in the progression you play the same scale or mode over each chord you areplaying what works overALL the chords and chord changes. You play the same scale or the same mode nomatter what chord is going by in the rhythm you play what relates to all the chords.

This is probably the most common choice among guitarists and definitely what most players do when first learningor developing their soloing skills and chops. So start with what relates to all. You want to get good at this firstbefore moving on to the next choice.

OR YOU CAN:

2. Treat each chord like a separate event - this choice is much more challenging but will give you a moresophisticated sound. By treating each chord as a separate event you solo with a different scale, mode, orarpeggio over each chord. So you can change your scale, mode, and/or arpeggio with each chord change. Youdont stay within the confines of the same scale as with what relates to all.

This technique gives you a more sophisticated sound and is much more challenging to apply than playing whatrelates to all. You have to listen to what is going on underneath your soloing. You have to listen to what chordsare going by and you have to listen for the changes. You then have to time your playing and change your scalesand notes depending on what chord you are soloing over. More challenging but well worth the efforts as you canmake HUGE soloing statements employing this technique.

You want to employ this technique when you have enough time on a given chord. Obviously if the chords areflying by fast you wont have enough time to treat each one as a separate event. So remember to listen to thechords and the amount of time on each chord to determine if this technique can be utilized. This technique takespractice getting used to but it will skyrocket your playing to the next level. Practice this technique at first with slow

tempo progressions, like slows blues jam tracks, where there is lots of time on each chord before they change tothe next chord.

KEY POINT: Keep in mind the above two choices are NOT mutually exclusive to one another. You can mixthem both. In fact I do that often when soloing. I treat each chord as a separate event for a while, then switch it upand play what relates to all or vice versa. Its a great combination to do both and you get some great effects frommixing them both together. Many big name blues players like BB King and Eric Clapton employ these techniques.

Sometimes you can even use both major and minor scale elements in certain jams as well as modal playing. Inthose type examples you can throw a bunch of different soloing applications into the soup. It all depends on thechords you are playing over. And again, this technique is very common in the blues.

KEY POINT:When soloing and improvising in the blues you will often be soloing over I-IV-V progressions. Inthese scenarios you will have three chord changes that keep repeating throughout the progression the I chord,the IV chord, and the V chord - just three chords to zone in on.

After rhythmically playing through I-IV-V progressions for a while you will start to memorize the patterns, feel thechanges, and musically know when they are coming around. Knowing when the changes happen is critical forsoloing options over each chord and/or landing on the hip chord tones when the chord changes.

As stated above, treating each chord separately, as an independent event will give your soloing more complexsounds and infinite possibilities. And with many blues progressions its mainly just three chords to hone into. Onthe following page we will study a few musical examples.


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KEY SIGNATURE & CHORD ANALYZINGOften in the Blues you will be soloing over progressions that are in either major key or minor key. Most often it willbe major key and often using dominant chords. But you want to have the tools to be able to solo over both majorand minor key.

Knowing the key is important, and a good place to start. But to go deeper you have to analyze the chords thatmake up the progression to get the complete roadmap for soloing options.

In the examples below we shall study a major key and minor key example of I-IV-V blues progressions and how tosystematically analyze the chords and determine various soloing options. Use these examples as templates whenexamining chords and progressions to determine soloing options. Always start with what are the chords and whatis the key.

Like I mentioned previously to treat each chord as a separate event you have to have enough musical time oneach chord. If the chords are rolling by very fast then you will probably play more of what relates to all.

After a while practicing these techniques, this procedure will become more automatic, but at first doing it in a verysystematic and methodical way will get you used to these principles.

Remember there are usually many lead avenues to choose from, so why not explore them all and get creativeand see what sounds best to your ears.

KEY POINT: Analyze the chords to determine what solo avenues to take its the chords that give theroadmap to the various soloing avenues the key signature is only part of the equation.

Its important to understand why these principles and techniques work so that you can solo over any progressionon your own. Armed with this knowledge and practicing in a musical context will give you the lead guitarconfidence to solo over any progression, song, or jam. So take the time to learn the whys its critical.

KEY POINT: Remember that as soon as you hear that very identifiable I-IV-V blues, swing, or shuffle, it iswide open as there will be many different soloing avenues to try.

Key Points To Determine Soloing Avenues:1. Determine the key signature - most of the time you will be soloing in minor key or major key. Knowing the keyis the first step. Even when you are just noodleing around on the guitar, always know what key you are playing in.

2. Analyze the chord progression its the chords that will give you the complete roadmap to what you canutilize for soloing and improvisation. Analyzing the chords is critical to get the full lead guitar picture.

Remember the points I list throughout these materials are guidelines to get you started off. They are notnecessarily rules forged in stone. Often in jams you have to use your discretion. You want to learn the principles

and techniques so you have a solid jump off point to get creative and then start bending the rules a bit.

Be creative and keep in mind that there is just no substitute for practicing the right things, learning scales,studying the sounds and relationships between chords and scales, developing your ear, practicing and honingyour skills using jam tracks, and continually pushing yourself while honing you skills and refining your art.


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EXAMPLE PROGRESSIONS AND SOLOING OPTIONS Major Key

-If a progression is in major key you can almost always solo using Major Pentatonic overALL the chords. Sothat should be a default setting. As soon as you hear major key, you know one option is to solo over all the chordswith Major Pentatonic, as it relates to all the chords.

-MAJOR KEY I-IV-V blues, shuffles, and swings:If a progression is a major key IIVV blues, swing, or shuffle there are MANY avenues to utilize when soloingand improvising. Its wide open and these I-IV-V progressions are extremely common in the blues. And you cansolo over what relates to all and also try treating each chord as a separate event.

-Try Minor Pentatonic & Blues scales over all the chords in the key of the progression for that bluesy minorsound. (Minor Pentatonic & Blues 1,b3,4,b5,5,b7)

-Try Major Pentatonic scales over all the chords in the key of the progression for that sweet major sound ala BBKing/Allman Brothers. This will be a totally different sound than Minor Pentatonic. (Major Pentatonic 1,2,3,5,6)

-Try mixing both Minor Pentatonic & Blues and Major Pentatonic. You will hear this a lot in the lead playing ofEric Clapton and BB King. The switching, combining, and mixing of Minor and Major Pentatonic is an awesomesound. (Minor & Major Pentatonic 1,2,b3,3,4,5,6,b7)

-Try the Dorian Mode over all the chords in the key of the progression. Dorian is the 2nd

mode of the major scaleand is considered more of a minor mode but its intervals have elements of both minor, (b3, b7), and major (2nd,

6th). So Dorian works great in any situation where you know both Minor Pentatonic and Major Pentatonic willwork. Give it at try over these I-IV-V blues progressions and you will be surprised how killer it can sound. (DorianMode 1,2,b3,4,5,6,b7)

-Try the Mixolydian Mode as it works great over dominant chords like 7ths

and 9th chords. Try to play this modeover each chord independently in the key of the chord. (Mixolydian Mode 1,2,3,4,5,6,b7)

1. EXAMPLE PROGRESSION I: E7-A7-B7 - Key of E Major I-IV-V progression - major key blues

*What Relates to all the chords: There are many avenues here, totally wide open, so a lot will depend on yourplaying style and what type of mood or sound you want to create. Try some of these:

-Try E Minor Pentatonic & Blues scales over all the chords for that bluesy minor sound (E,G,A,Bb,B,D)

-Try E Major Pentatonic scales over all the chords for that sweet major sound (E,F#,G#,B,C#)

Note: Remember that for any major key jam you can use Major Pentatonic over all the chords. Major Pentatonicrelates to all in this jam. E Major Pentatonic is the same as C# Minor Pentatonic. E Major and C# Minor arerelative major and minor. If you think more in terms of Minor Pentatonic or just know those shapes then play allyour C# Minor Pentatonic scales, but start on and emphasize the E notes and it will be E Major Pentatonic andhave that real major happy sweet sound.

-Try mixing both E Minor Pentatonic and E Major Pentatonic over all the chords (E,F#,G,G#,A,B,C#,D)

-Try the E Dorian over all the chords (E,F#,G,A,B,C#,D)

Note: Because we know that both Major Pentatonic & Minor Pentatonic & Blues will work we then know that theDorian mode will also work. Dorian is considered more of a minor mode, (1,2,b3,4,5,6,b7), but works great overmajor key I-IV-V blues, swing, and shuffle progressions.


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Dorian has the minor elements in it (b3, b7) but also has some major elements, (2nd

, 6th). So the Dorian mode will

give you that hybrid kind of minor/major sounds as it combines the elements of both minor and major. So try EDorian over all the chords.

Dorian is the 2nd

mode in any major key and E Dorian is the same as D major, (E Dorian=D major). So play allyour D major scales but emphasize and start on the E notes really resolve to and focus on those D notes.

*Treat each chord like a separate event: Remember to always listen to the rhythm going on under your soloingand time your changes so you change your scale or landing notes as the chords change. Here are a few avenuesto try treating each chord as a separate event:

-Try movingMinor Pentatonic & Blues over each chord:-Play E Minor Pentatonic & Blues over the E7 chord-Play A Minor Pentatonic & Blues over the A7 chord-Play B Minor Pentatonic & Blues over the B7 chord

-Try movingMajor Pentatonic over each chord-Play E Major Pentatonic over the E7 chord-Play A Major Pentatonic over the A7 chord

-Play B Major Pentatonic over the B7 chord

-Try mixing up the above Minor Pentatonic and Major Pentatonic over each chord this is a very cooltechnique that many blues players often utilize.

-Play E Major Pentatonic over the E7 chord. Then switch to E Minor Pentatonic over the A7 chord. Thentry E Major Pentatonic over the B7 chord. Listen to how well this technique outlines and implies the chordchanges. Mix this up a bit, maybe the next time around the progression try E Minor Pentatonic over theB7 chord.

-Try Mixolydian mode over each chord: Mixolydian works great over 7th

chords as there is that b7 in the 7th

chords, (1,3,5,b7), as well as in the Mixolydian mode (1,2,3,4,5,6,b7). Mixolydian mode is the 5th

mode of the

major scale.-Over the E7 chord try E Mixolydian (=A Major, start on and emphasize the E notes)-Over the A7 chord try A Mixolydian (=D Major, start on and emphasize the A notes)-Over the B7 chord try B Mixolydian (=E Major, start on and emphasize the B notes)


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EXAMPLE PROGRESSIONS AND SOLOING OPTIONS Minor Key

-In most instances if a song or jam is in minor key you can solo using Minor Pentatonic & Blues over all thechords. So that should be a default setting for minor key. As soon as you determine you are in minor key, or its amajor key bluesy I-IV-V, you know one option is to solo over all the chords with Minor Pentatonic & Blues scales.(An exception to this rule is if its a minor key progression with a major V chord you have to be careful over thatmajor V chord - one option is to use Harmonic Minor over just that V chord).

-Usually a minor mode will work over all the chords in a minor key jam. Usually its either Aeolian or Dorian. Todetermine which one you have to analyze the chords and look for certain things. For now just memorize thiscritical point for soloing in minor key over all the chords:

KEY POINT: When playing over all the chords in a minor key progression you can always use the AEOLIANmode,UNLESS there is a IV major chord or II minor chord, then use the DORIAN mode. (Exception - If thereis a V major chord then use Harmonic Minor over just that V chord)

Aeolian mode is the same thing as Natural Minor or Pure Minor.Aeolian mode = Natural Minor = Pure Minor

When to use Minor Pentatonic & Blues Scales (4 great applications):1. Over all the chords in a minor key song, jam, or progression, (in most instances, few exceptions).2. Over all the chords in major key I-IV-V blues, shuffles, and swings.

3. Over any minor type chord when treating each chord as a separate event.4. Over all the chords in rock type jams, or jams using power or 5

thchords, (as long as the jam is not real

ballad/major sounding, if so then use major pentatonic or possibly full major scales).

2. EXAMPLE PROGRESSION II: Bm-Em-F#m Key of B minor I-IV-V progression minor key bluesThis example is in the key of B minor. We instantly know since we are in minor key, with no major V chord, wecan solo with Minor Pentatonic & Blues scales over all the chords.

*What Relates to all the chords:-Try B Minor Pentatonic & Blues over all the chords. We instantly know since we are in minor key, with no majorV chord, we can solo with Minor Pentatonic & Blues scales over all the chords as those scales relates to all. So

whether we are playing over the Bm chord, the Em chord, or the F#m chord one option is we can play B minorPentatonic & Blues scales all day long over all the chords.

-Try B Aeolian over all the chords. Usually in minor key we can play a minor mode over all the chords. In minorkey a minor mode usually relates to all. We are in minor key and when analyzing the chords the IV chord is minor,(Em), this tells us we can also play B Aeolian mode, (B Natural Minor), over all the chords. So again whether weare playing over the Bm chord, the Em chord, or the F#m chord we can play B Aeolian scales over all the chordsit relates to all. B minor is the relative minor of D major. So play all your D major scales but start on andemphasize the B notes making it B Aeolian (B Aeolian = D major).

-Try mixing both B Aeolian and B Minor Pentatonic & Blues over all the chords for some killer sounds.

*Treat each chord like a separate event:

We can also try choice number two and treat each chord as a separate event. What this means is you play whatrelates to each chord separately and treat each chord independently. With this 12-bar progression you have a lotof time on each chord. This is perfect for treating each chord as a separate event

-Over the Bm chord try B Minor Pentatonic & Blues, B Aeolian, B Dorian, or B minor arpeggios.(But then when the chords change to Em you then abandon all the B minor lead work and switch to scales,modes, or arpeggios that relate to the Em chord.)-Over the Em chord try E Minor Pentatonic & Blues, E Aeolian, E Dorian, or E Minor arpeggios.(Then when the chord changes again to F#m you abandon all the Em work and switch to what relates to the F#mchord.)-Over the F#m chord try F# Minor Pentatonic & Blues, F# Aeolian, F# Dorian, or F# minor arpeggios.


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THE MINOR PENTATONIC SCALEThe Pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly utilized scales in just about all genres of music. Penta, is Latinfor five, much like a penta-gram has five sides, Pentatonic scales are constructed from five notes. The MinorPentatonic scale is constructed from five notes from the Natural Minor Scale, also called the Aeolian mode. TheMinor Pentatonic scale is built from the five scale degrees of root, b3

rd, 4

th, 5th, and b7th. The scale illustrated

below is what many call the basic box position and has its low root played with the first finger on the low E string.The root notes are illustrated with black circles and the numbers inside the circles indicate the fingering to beutilized when playing this scale. Its important to learn this basic scale first, as we are going to build upon thisscale in coming lessons and eventually you will need to learn this scale in all positions all over the neck and in allkeys. Many other scale shapes and scale connecting links are diagrammed out in the coming pages.

Hip string bends when utilizing the above Minor Pentatonic scale: bending strings is one of the most expressive things youcan do on the guitar. You will want to get very proficient and exact with string bending, its an art. Always bend to a target note.

When bending strings it is imperative that you are bending the notes in pitch. You dont want to over bend or under bend

notes, as they will then sound sharp or flat. Practice bending strings and then check the pitch by sounding the note you areattempting to bend to, your target note. This is a good self-check to ensure you are bending in pitch. Also practice stringbending by plugging directly into an electronic tuner and watch the needle as you bend a note. See the progress as you bendthe note and ultimately hit pitch. Keep doing it over and over till you feel the bend strength wise, and hear the bend in pitch.

For purposes of this string bending exercise play the scale with a fifth fret root or A Minor Pentatonic scale, but once learned,practice the bends and scale in all keys.1. Bend the b7th a whole step up to the root. Bend the G note at the 8

thfret of the B string up one whole step to the A root

note. You can also bend the same note an octave lower at the G note at the 5th

fret on the D string up one whole step.2. Bend the 4

tha half step to the blue note - bend the D note on the 7

thfret of the G string up one half step to the Eb note.

3. Bend the 4th

degree a whole step to the fifth - bend the D note on the 7th

fret of the G string up one whole step to the E note.The 4

thor D note can be bent either a whole or a half step, try both.

4. Bend the b3rd a full step to the 4th

bend the C note at the 8th

fret of the high E string one whole step to the D note.5. Try a unison bend. Utilize your 4

thfinger to bend the G note on the 8

thfret of the B string a whole step to an A note while

playing the A note at the 5th

fret of the high E string with your 1st finger.6. Unison bend Utilize your 3rd finger to bend the D note on the 7 th fret of the G string a whole step to an E note whileplaying the E note at the 5

thfret of the B string with your 1

stfinger.

7. Double stop bend bend two strings a half step each with your 3rd

finger. Bend the D note at the 7th

fret of the G string onehalf step while also bending the F# note at the 7

thfret of the B string one half step.

8. Double stop bend with your 3rd

finger bend the D note at the 7th

fret of the G string a whole step while playing the G noteon the B string with your 4

thfinger.

9. b3rd to major 3rd

bend bend the b3rd or C notes a quarter to a half step to the major 3rd

. This is a very cool bend as theb3rd is a very ambiguous note in this scale. It sometimes will sound great as the b3rd but also as a major 3

rdlike when playing

over a 7th

chord. So this note has some play in it and you dont have to be exact with the bend play with it and you will soonbe utilizing it all the time. Bend the note slow and put a hook on the end of it.

Take your time and play the scale slow and in time, speed will come.Practice the scale utilizing the fingerings illustrated. Sound each noteclean, with no string buzzes or overtones. As you move through thescale make a mental note of when you hit the three root notes,(illustrated with the black circles).

The key signature is determined by which root note is played. Forexample if you play this scale starting at the fifth fret on the low Estring it is an A Minor Pentatonic scale consisting of the five notes A,C, D, E, and G. If you were to play this scale on the 8

thfret it would

be a C Minor Pentatonic scale consisting of the five notes C, Eb, F,G, and Bb.

Much like moveable bar chords this scale can be moved up anddown the guitar neck and the root note will determine the key you areplaying. Practice the scale in all keys.

This scale will form the building block of many concepts to come.

You want to be very familiar with this scale pattern, but do not rely onit exclusively. We are going to build on this scale extensively. Soonwe will be spicing it up and expanding it, making it a more fluidsounding scale that you can move laterally across the neck and notlimited to box to box type lead playing.

1 1 1

4

3

1

44

3 3

1 1

Minor Pentatonic Scale Basic Box

= root notesFingering tobe utilized#


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THE MINOR PENTATONIC EXPANDED I SCALE

Lets build on the minor pentatonic basic box shape scale that you learned in the previous page. We are nowgoing to expand the scale two frets in each direction combining three of the box shapes, (all five box shapes arediagrammed out on page 12). We are still going to play the same five-note scale. However, the expanded scaleexudes a much more fluid sound and sets up many additional and different combination runs and licks than juststaying solely in the basic box shape. You certainly want to have all the pentatonic scales in the box patterns inyour arsenal, but this expanded scale you will find really opens the pathways and lead guitar avenues a lotfurther. Commit it to memory and practice it in all keys. You will find yourself using these expanded scales all thetime when playing in the pentatonics they are invaluable.

For the G string pivot with yoursecond fingerfor the 1,3,2 fingering combination

KEY POINT: You can grab these above two scales fast if you memorize the two above scales as:

1. Basic Box Position Minor Pentatonic Scale 1st

finger root on the low E string2. Expanded I Minor Pentatonic Scale 3

rdfinger root on the low E string

Analyzing this expanded scale you can see part of the basic boxpattern you learned in the previous page encapsulated in themiddle of the shape. The shape is expanded two frets in eachdirection using the neighboring two boxes. Now you have aPentatonic shape that doubles the fret span of the basic boxpattern.

As always when learning a new scale, take your time and play the

scale slow and in time. Sound each note clean, with no stringbuzzes or overtones. As you move through the scale make amental note of when you hit the three root notes, (illustrated withthe black circles). Practice the scale utilizing the fingeringsillustrated. Notice the shift in fingering when you get to the G-string. There is a one three two finger combination. Utilizeyour second finger when playing the third note on the G-string asthat will set you up for the two and three note combinations andlicks to be played with the G, B, and high E strings. As always,you want to utilize the proper fingerings that set you up for thenext lick, run, or chord.

Much like the first pentatonic scale in the basic box pattern the

key signature for the expanded scale is determined by which rootnote is played on the 6th

string. Play that note with your thirdfinger. For example if you play this shape starting at the fifth freton the low E string it is the Expanded I A minor pentatonic scaleconsisting of the five notes A, C, D, E, and G. If you were to playthis scale starting with your 3

rdfinger on the 10

thfret it would be

the Expanded I D minor pentatonic scale consisting of the fivenotes D, F, G, A, and C. Practice this scale in all keys up anddown the fret board.

3

1 1

3

3

3 11

1 1

2

33

3

Expanded I Minor Pentatonic Scale


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THE MINOR PENTATONIC EXPANDED II SCALE

Now that you are familiar with the Minor Pentatonic scale in the basic box position and in Expanded I form, letslearn the Minor Pentatonic Expanded II scale. This scale will have its root note on the 5

thor A string and you can

start with your 3rd

finger. Illustrated below is the Expanded II Minor Pentatonic scale. With both Expanded scalesand the basic box shape you can cover just about the entire fretboard. Practice these scales in all keys up anddown the fret board. Commit them to memory, as you will find yourself grabbing them all the time.

KEY POINT: You can grab the above scales fast if you memorize the three above scales as:

1. Box Position Minor Pentatonic Scale 1st

finger root on the low E string2. Expanded I Minor Pentatonic Scale 3

rdfinger root on the low E string

3. Expanded II Minor Pentatonic Scale 3rd

finger root on the A string

3

1 1

3

3

3 1

1

1

1

3 3

3

Expanded II Minor Pentatonic Scale

3

Take your time when first learning this scale pattern, and playthe scale slow and in time. Sound each note clean, with nostring buzzes or overtones. As you move through the scalemake a mental note of when you hit the three root notes,(illustrated with the three black circles). Practice the scaleutilizing the fingerings illustrated and work up this expandedscale in all keys. Just use the first and third fingers to play theentire scale.

In this Expanded 2 scale the key signature is determined bywhich root note is played with the third finger on the on the 5

th

or A string. That is how you can find all the different scalesquickly, by identifying the root notes. For example if you playthis shape starting at the tenth fret on the low E string it is theExpanded II A Minor Pentatonic scale consisting of the fivenotes A, C, D, E, and G. This is due to the root note beingplayed on the 12

thfret of the A string an A note. If you were

to start this scale on the 12th

fret of the low E string it would bethe Expanded II B Minor Pentatonic scale.


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THE MINOR PENTATONIC BLUES SCALEThe Blues scale is basically the Minor Pentatonic scale, with one added note, the flatted 5

th, or blue note. The b5

creates a certain amount of color and tension that is extremely useful. The blues scale is not solely utilized inblues music but rather is used in many musical genres including rock, country, jazz, pop, metal, punk, and more.Adding this scale to your lead guitar arsenal will definitely add a little bluesy color and texture to your playing.Use it pretty much whenever you play Minor Pentatonic scales. Now we will make it the Minor Pentatonic BluesScale. This is the scale when you hear the term blues scale tossed around.

By adding the b5 note we now get the six-note scale constructed from the degrees of 1, b3rd

, 4th, b5th, 5th, and

b7th. The first illustration below on the left is the basic box shape Minor Pentatonic scale. Directly below that weadd the b5th and now have the Minor Pentatonic blues scale. They only differ by one note, the b5th or blue note,illustrated in blue. The illustration below to the right is the Expanded I Minor Pentatonic Blues scale.

A common challenge with many students is that they always play and think of scales in box patterns and they stayin one box, then stop, move to the next box, then stop, and so on. This can have a real boxy and fragmentedsound with lines that have no continuity. Students benefit greatly by learning to play ACROSS the neck by playinglaterally. The ultimate goal is to see the entire neck as one big inter-connected scale. Then leave them allconnected and just move the whole chunk back and forth as one chunk, to change key. These expanded scaleswill pull you out of the traditional boxes that can have a boxy sound that many players cant seem to leave behind.

As always, utilize consistent fingering and practice these scales in all keys and learn all the scales up and downthe neck. Then apply them by practicing your soloing over the jam tracks. Make strong solo statements byemphasizing strong chord tones and root notes. Employ good phrasing and continuity, and play laterally across

the neck. Rock on!

1 1 1

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3

1

44

3 3

1 1

Basic Box Minor PentatonicScale

Minor Pentatonic Blues Scale

1 1 1

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3

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44

3 3

1 1

2

4

= root note = blue note (b5)

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1 1

3

3

1 11

1 1

2

33

3

Expanded I Minor Pentatonic Blues Scale

2

1

4

When ascending the scale at the G-string pivot withyour 1

stfinger playing 1,3 then 1,2. Then descending

use a 3,2,1,1 finger combination on the G string


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THE MINOR PENTATONIC BLUES EXPANDED II SCALE

Lets continue to add the b5th, or blue note, to the Minor Pentatonic scale in the Expanded II scale. Below on theleft is the Expanded II Minor Pentatonic scale. By adding the blue note we now get the Expanded II MinorPentatonic Blues scale, as shown below on the right. There is only one note added to make the Blues scale.Examine the fingering carefully as it varies slightly between the two scales. The fingering shown below puts yourfingers in the proper place on the fretboard to set up for the next part of the scale, or if playing a solo, the nextlick. Remember it is crucial to always have your fingers in the right position, setting yourself up for the next lick orrun. Practice the scales below in all keys.

When playing through these scales remember to make mental notes when hitting the root notes and the bluenotes, as you may want to emphasize these notes in your lead lines - its all about emphasis! Also remember, as Ialways state, just dont memorize the fingering for scales or just the scale shapes. Take the extra time to learn thenotes and intervals that you are playing in a given key. Taking a little extra time to do this will make you a muchbetter musician in the long run.

3

1 1

3

3

3 1

1

1

1

3 3

3

Expanded II Minor Pentatonic Scale

3 3

1 1

3

1

3 1

1

1

1

3 3

3

Expanded II Minor Pentatonic Blues Scale

1

2

2

2


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SPICING UP THE MINOR PENTATONIC BLUES SCALENow that you have learned some Pentatonic scales lets look at how we can spice things up a bit to add somemore color and texture to your playing. Its not enough just to know the scale but you will need to take the notesand do musically interesting things with them. Think of guitar playing as speaking a language. We are going toturn our notes, or words, into sentences. This is what some refer to as phrasing - the way we connect and playour thoughts musically on the guitar. Whats so important in great lead playing and improvisation is engaging youraudience and drawing them into your playing. You want to speak to your audience musically in a way that isengaging and that they can comprehend. So its so important that your musical thoughts and phrases makemusical sense. For instructional purposes we are going to use the Minor Pentatonic basic box shape to illustratethese techniques. In the illustration below the black ovals are the root notes, the white ovals are the other notes inthe scale, and the colored ovals are the various notes we will discuss below.

1. Spice it up by doubling and tripling up on your notes. Dont always go from one note to the next to the next instraight eighth or quarter notes. You have to bust them up a bit to make them sound more interesting. Play thesame note in rhythmic combinations. Ba.Ba.BaBaBow remember, if you can say it, you can play it! Feel therhythm of the line, dont just play it straight and say the phrase out loud if you need to. Then change around therhythm. Get into an idea that you like and keep repeating it, perhaps playing it a little different rhythmically eachtime. Learn a rhythm or rhythmic phrase and then apply it to some of your favorite licks across all the strings. Sowhen you are noodling around and get into a little cool idea keep it keep playing it turn the rhythm aroundand exploit it and keep repeating the phrase. Remember rhythm, repetition, and melody are the keys!

2. Spice it up by slurring your notes with passing tones. Slide into your notes

utilizing half steps passing tones. It is a great sound as you get the inference of thepassing tone and then the target note. Do not hang on passing tones and dont tryand bend or vibrato them get on and off them quickly, just use them in passing.Bookend your passing tones with two strong scalar notes. For example, if you areplaying a five-note Pentatonic scale, you can utilize the other seven notes aspassing tones. Just remember to get and off them quickly and bookend them withstrong notes that are in the scale. Try utilizing the passing tones in the diagram tothe right. Slide from any note in red to the scale note one half step higher. Thenote in blue is the blue note, or b5, and makes a great note to use as a passingslide tone also. Double and triple up on these slides. These slurs will add somegreat color and interest to your playing.

3. Spice it up by adding the ninth scale degree to the Minor Pentatonic scale, (the ninth is illustrated above as theorange oval). This note sounds great and will work most of the time when using minor pentatonic adding muchcolor to the scale. It is a great note to slide off, bend a half step, use in triplet patterns, and use in pull off andhammer licks. The outside sounding note will give you a little jazzy sound. So bend it a half step or slide from theninth to the next note, the b3rd. Its a great sounding note! Also use the 9

thon the G string more cool licks!

4. Spice it up by slightly bending the b3rd on the G-string, (the b3rd is a white oval with an asterisk, *). The b3rdis a very ambiguous note, especially when playing the blues. It sometimes sounds best when played as a naturaltone and sometimes sounds great bent up a quarter or half step depending on what chord its being played over orthat you go to next in the progression. Pull that b3rd note down in a nice bend and really feel it. Slur in and out ofit and you will find it will add a lot of texture to your playing. If you are playing in the box shape it is one of the fewtimes where I like to bend with my first finger. Its an easy bend as you are only going up a quarter or half step soyou dont need multiple finger strength to reach and hold the pitch. You can bend it slow or fast, but put a lot offeeling and passion into this bend and you will absolutely love the sound! One of the few bends where you havesome leeway and dont have to bend it exactly perfect anywhere in that quarter to half step range sounds great.

5. Spice it up with reverse slides instead of always sliding a note up the fretboard try sliding down the fretboard.A real nice reverse slide is to slide the blue note one-half step back to the fourth. In the diagram above reverseslide from the blue oval with the asterisk back one half step. Really feel the slide and hear both notes. Repeat theslide two or three times in succession for a real cool riff. So try sliding in both directions not just limiting yourself tosliding up the neck.


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THE MAJOR PENTATONIC SCALEThe Major Pentatonic scale is a five-note scale consisting of five notes from the Major scale. It is an extremely useful scalethat has a very sweet major sound. At times full major scales may be inappropriate to play over a given progression, as theymay sound a bit stiff. The major seventh note is a very ify note, especially in rock music as sometimes it works and manytimes it doesnt. Defaulting to the Major Pentatonic scale for that major sound in many of these instances is a great idea andwill give you a killer sound. You hear the major pentatonic scale used often in blues music.

The five-note Major Pentatonic scale is derived from five notes from the Major scale similar to how the Minor Pentatonic scaleis derived from five notes from the Natural Minor scale. The intervals of the Major Pentatonic are 1,2,3,5,6. You do not play the4

thand 7

thdegrees of the Major scale.

For many guitarists there's confusion surrounding the Major Pentatonic and it's relative minor, the Minor Pentatonic scale. TheMinor Pentatonic is the relative minor of the Major Pentatonic and lives a minor 3rd, or three frets away, below the MajorPentatonic. For every major key there is a relative minor key. Both keys will have exactly the same notes. Refer to the handouton the circle of fifths on page 31 for a complete listing of every major key and its relative minor key.

Illustrated below is the basic box shape C Major Pentatonic and its relative minor, A Minor Pentatonic. C Major Pentatonicscales can also be viewed as A Minor Pentatonic scales. Both scales consist of the same notes C, D, E, G, and A. Yourstarting and emphasis notes determine which scale will sound. The confusion often comes because of the multiple names. CMajor Pentatonic and A Minor Pentatonic are the same scale, just different starting and emphasis notes. Just like when playingutilizing the modes, it all comes down to what notes you are emphasizing - emphasis is so important!

Play both scales starting and ending with the root and listen to how the Pentatonic Major sounds very sweet and major

sounding when staring on and emphasizing the C notes. Play the same shape but start and end on the A notes. Now you getthe darker bluesy Minor Pentatonic scale. Same notes, just different start and emphasis points. One scale gives you the

happy, major, Allman Brothers/BB King type of sound while the other gives you a darker, bluesy, minor type sounds.

Remember that you can get to all the Major Pentatonics by going through the relative Minor Pentatonic scales. So you donthave to learn any new shapes for Major Pentatonic if you already know your Minor Pentatonic scales. Just flip them to theirrelative Major Pentatonic.

If you know your Minor Pentatonic scales across the entire fretboard there is no need to learn any new shapes to play MajorPentatonic. You can get to those shapes from the relative minor Pentatonics. Learning more shapes would be redundant.

The blue note does not always apply to Major Pentatonic and often will not sound very good. So use the straight MinorPentatonic scales and Expanded scales without the blue notes. There is not as much room for error soloing in major key either- bad notes really stick out. You also cant slur all those passing notes like we discussed when using Minor Pentatonic. So be

careful with your note choices and let your ear help to guide you. So think of it like you have a bit more leeway in MinorPentatonic than you have in Major Pentatonic.

For that sweet Major Pentatonic sound utilize all of your Minor Pentatonic shapes focused on emphasizing the root of themode the major. For example, when playing in C Major Pentatonic think of the relative minor, A Minor Pentatonic shapesthat you have learned previously. Just start and emphasize on the C notes, not the A notes. You want to sound major so youhave to emphasize the major root notes, not the minor ones. Practice in all keys and all positions up and down the neck.

5th

fret1 1 1

4

3

1

44

3 3

1 1

A Minor Pentatonic Basic Box

1 1 1

4 4

1

4

3 3

1

C Major Pentatonic Basic Box

5th

fret

3


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Major Pentatonic Sus4 ScalesAvery cool way to spice up the Major Pentatonic scale is to add the fourth degree to the scale. Instead of it beinga five-note scale it will now be a six-note scale. Adding the fourth degree makes it a Major Pentatonic Sus4scale. The intervals of the scale are now 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Basically its a major scale with the 7

thdegree left

out. This scale works just about every time so try using it when playing in Major Pentatonic.

In the past lesson we discussed that the major 7th

is a very ify note. This is true especially in rock music assometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt depending on the underlying chords. What is great about the MajorPentatonic Sus4 scale is that it leaves that major 7

thnote out all together. This way you dont have to worry about

it at all and you get the added bonus of a real sweet sounding Sus4 note added into the scale. Try this scale oversimple major key jams and ballads at first to get the fingerings down and make sure make a mental note eachtime you pass through the root AND the Sus4 notes.

In the illustration below the root notes are in the black and the Sus4 notes are highlighted in yellow. This is thebasic box shape that you have seen in previous lessons. As discussed above this Major Pentatonic shape canbe viewed as the same notes as its relative Minor Pentatonic.

This scale gives you many additional lick ideas as you have three notes per string with the half step on the A andB strings in the shape below. A great bend is on the B string bending up to the Sus4 note with a nice half stepbend with the first finger. Very sweet sounding bend.

Example: Try playing a simple progression of C to F, two measures on each chord. That is a I major to a IV majorchange and its in the key of C major. Because we are in major key, instantly we know major pentatonic will work.So C Major Pentatonic would sound very good played over this progression. But for added spice play the C MajorPentatonic Sus4 scale.

If you analyze the chord changes in the key of C the 4th

is an F. This change goes C to F. So the Major

Pent Sus4 scale would be an awesome choice to play as it adds hat F note.

In fact you will often see I major to IV major changes, they are very common. That is why the sus4 scales are souseful. Try to feel when the change happens and land on the strong chord tones of the chord changes. Thestrongest landing notes on the C chord will be the notes in that chord, C, E, or G. The strongest landing tones onthe F chord will be the notes making up an F chord, F, A, or C. Practice your timing landing on a different chordtone each time the change comes up. Learn the long form Sus4 scale links on the next page and work all thescales over the entire fretboard in all keys.

Major Pentatonic Box Shape

1 1

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1

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Major Pentatonic Sus4 scale links

Major Pentatonic Sus4 Expanded 1 Major Pentatonic Sus4 Expanded 2

Root notes in black Sus4 notes in yellow

1

3

3

1

3

3

4 1

1

1

1

3

3 3

2

3 3

3

4

4

3

3

3

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3

1

1

1

1

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3 1

3

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TOP TEN KEY HINTS TO GET YOUR PLAYING TO THE NEXT LEVELIn my opinion there are certain principles that every guitar player should consider tackling to help evolve theirplaying to the next level. Some concepts and techniques are harder than others, and take quite a bit of work toget proficient. However, in the end you will be glad you took the extra time to learn the principles outlined below,as they will make you a better guitarist and a better musician. There are no real shortcuts here, it will be morework, and quite difficult at first, but in the end you will be a better musician if you take the time to nail these down.Go slowly at first and dont overwhelm yourself. These are processes that take time, remember that your playingis an evolution. Take stock in your playing and see if you are deficient in one or more of these areas and thenreally work hard on getting each up to speed. Keep honing your skills and refining your art and stay positive!

HINT 1: Use what you learn in lessons as templates not isolated individual eventsYou want to be able to take what you are learning in lessons and apply it to real musical situations. Dont justlearn a lick or an exercise and that is it jus that one isolated event. Use lessons as practical playing vehicles foryou to practice and hone your lead guitar playing skills. Take what you learn in an individual lesson and tryapplying it to other jams, songs, and progressions in a musical context.

HINT 2: JUST DONT LEARN LICKS..LEARN FROM THE LICKSI have seen it over and over and over. Too many guitarists spend way too much time on just learning licks andstopping there. If you just learn a lick here and a lick there then in the end you know a few licks what good isthat really? You want to LEARN FROM THE LICK what scale is that lick from, how is it used, over what

changes can it be played, over what chords can it be played, how can I vary that lick to turn that one lick intotwenty licks, how can I use the lick in a musical context. Thats what I mean LEARN FROM THE LICKS - thenyou are arming yourself with the necessary tools to take your playing to the next level.

HINT 3: KNOW & ANALYZE THE CHORD PROGRESSION, knowing the key alone is not enoughI have seen this hold guitar players back time and time again. They focus solely on what key they are playing inand that is all they are tuned into. This can be very limiting as knowing just the key will only get you so far.Knowing what key you are playing in is important, but to fully develop your lead playing and improvisation skillsyou need to know more. You need to start examining the chords and progressions.

You want to know exactly what chords are in the progression and then analyze them to determine what scales,modes, and landing notes to utilize. In many instances you need to look at if there is a IV chord or V chord in a

progression and are the chords major or minor. You need to know which notes make up the chords that you areplaying over so you can use their respective chord tones as strong landing or emphasis notes. You will need toknow the chords and their structure to fully understand and apply which mode you want to solo with.

KEY POINT:Its the chords that you are playing over that give you the full roadmap to what will work forsoloing and improvisation purposes.

The key is only part of the equation you want to start listening to and analyzing the chords underneath. At first,get in the habit of writing out the chord progression and thoroughly examining all the chords in the progression orsong to get clear to all the soloing options. Consider this very methodical approach at first as training as it getsthat solid musical muscle memory locked in. This way eventually your ear will be developed enough to take you toall the right notes it just makes it easier and faster to get to that point following this structured plan. I have foundthat learning this methodical approach will get you there the fastest.

HINT 4: DEVELOP YOUR EARI always say, and will keep saying and repeating, one of the most important things that you can do as a musicianis to DEVELOP YOUR EAR. This opens the door to amazing musical applications. Once your ear startsdeveloping you will be able to hear strum patterns & rhythms and play them by ear without the worry of learningpattern ups and down strums. You will hear the color of chords and be able to discern major chords from minorchords from 7

thchords and so on. You will be able to grab chords that give off a certain color or emotion that you

may need for a given song when songwriting. You will be able to figure out and transcribe songs by ear. Your earwill also take you to those sweet sounding landing and emphasis notes and link the proper scale or mode to agiven chord or set of chords. I can go on and on develop that ear its HUGE!


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HINT 5: KNOW A LARGE CATALOGUE OF CHORDSAs a musician knowing a large vocabulary of chords is absolutely critical. Unless you want to be regulated toplaying stock everyday A, D, and E all day long. Being able to play a lot of different chords proficiently andknowing how to embellish them is a difficult task, but so worthwhile. Knowing a large catalog of chords will openmany doors and allow you to embellish and decorate your playing with all kinds of new musical melodies,rhythms, and endless song writing possibilities. Why play a stock, sterile, every day Aminor chord when you canplay a much more interesting and harmonically rich Asus2, Am7, or Am9 chord. Embellishing chords is a greatway to spark new ideas and infuse new life into old progressions and songs. Having chordal options makes it funand exciting not only for the guitarist but also, and probably more importantly, for the listener.

HINT 6: KNOW HOW TO PLAY SOLID RHYTHMKnowing a large catalog of chords is the first step. Next is being able to play solid rhythm. Music is more than justsoloing, notes, and chords, it is also about rhythm and meter. As a guitarist you will be playing rhythm 90% of thetime. So the misinformed players who thinks they can just concentrate solely on soloing and improvisation are infor a huge surprise first time they start playing with a band or jamming with other people. Your lead playing willpretty much only ever be as good as your rhythm playing. Your rhythm playing is huge so dont overlook it.

HINT 7: KNOW THE NOTES ON THE NECKThere is just no way around this one. Strive to learn the notes on the neck cold. You will always be a bettermusician and be able to speak the language of music if you take the extra time to learn the notes that make upeach chord, scale, and the notes on the fretboard. This will also allow you to grab a needed note quickly at any

time. Knowing the notes on the neck is a huge under taking, so make it a process to learn them over a period oftime. Dont overwhelm yourself and try to get them all down in a week. Take things slow and learn one string at atime, then go to the next string. Utilize octaves to make the learning process a bit easier. Refer to the writtenlesson on page 7 illustrating the notes on the fretboard and the 12-note scale.

HINT 8: DONT RELY SOLELY ON TABLATURE OR JUST LEARNING SHAPESThe problem with tablature and just learning scale shapes is that you dont learn the notes that make up thechords or the scales. Dont rely solely on tablature as then you are just learning finger position, fret numbers, andshapes. Try not to become too dependent on tablature. Tablature only tells you what fret number to play, it doesnot tell you the note that you are playing or the notes that make up the chords. Tablature is a fun way to learnsongs if you dont read music so certainly use it and have fun with it, but dont fall into the trap of using itexclusively and not taking the time to develop your ear. Along with tablature learn the notes on the neck and what

notes and what intervals make up each chord and keep developing your ear so you eventually wont need tabs.

HINT 9: JUST DONT LEARN SCALES ALONE, ALSO LEARN HOW TO APPLY THEMToo often players willlearn dozens and dozens of scales, but they dont learn how to use them and when to applythem. Learning a scale by itself is not enough. Knowing when to utilize the scale and over which chords is just asimportant as knowing the scale itself. Knowing all the scales ever created in the history of music will do youabsolutely no good unless you know how to utilize them and under which musical circumstances apply them intoyour playing. Learn the scale, but also learn how and when to apply it.

HINT 10: KNOW YOUR MAJOR SCALES COLD IN ADDITION TO THE PENTATONICSThis is invaluable for the lead guitar player. Knowing your major scales in all positions across the neck will help

give you so many additional tools necessary for lead playing and improvisation. Too many players just stoplearning scales after they learn the pentatonics. Again, why limit yourself? Knowing the major scales up and downthe neck will be the springboard to knowing the modes of the major scale, relative major and minor, and manyother important concepts. So learn those major scales in all positions. Dont stop after learning pentatonic scales,keep pushing into new territories and you will push yourself to that next level of lead guitar playing.


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CHORD CONSTRUCTIONUnderstanding chord construction will give you the knowledge of why certain notes make up certain chords.Analyzing chord construction will also illustrate the relationships between notes, chords, and scales. It will tiemany concepts together that we will discuss throughout these materials. Chord construction will help your leadplaying as you will then know to land on the notes that make up the chords, or chord tones. You also will knowwhat number each chord is referred to like what is the one chord (I), four (IV) chord, five chord (V), etc.

Chords are built from notes in certain scales. A scale is a series of sounds arranged by order of pitch, oralphabetically, from any given note to its octave. In order to analyze chord construction we need to look at scalesand the notes that make them up. All major keys are constructed in the same fashion and all music theory iscompared to the major scale. The major scale is the standard in music that all is compared. You have probablyheard the major scale - doe, re, me, fa, so, la, ti, and then back to doe.

Lets examine the C major scale. The key of C major has no sharps or flats. In fact, C is the only major key with noaccidentals, (a sharp or flat is also referred to as an accidental). So if you see a piece of sheet music and it hasno sharp or flat symbols next to the clef you know it is probably in the key of C major.

C major scale = C, D, E, F, G, A, B,

The three notes that construct a major chord are a root or 1st

degree, 3rd

, and 5th, (1,3,5). So to illustrate the

relationship between the key signature, chords, and notes lets draw out the C major scale and start counting.Remember that the scale is always laid out in order and each successive note is assigned a number or degree,and always in order. Start on the C and count to the third degree and you have an E note. In the key of C major

the third is the E. Now count to the 5th degree or 5th note starting from the C note and you have a G note. In thekey of C major the 5

this a G. Now put the three notes together as shown in the illustration below and you have a

C major chord root, 3rd

, and fifth or C, E, G.

C D E F G A B C .C major scale notes1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ..Scale degrees

C, E, G = C major chord, (abbreviated Cmaj or just C)

Expanding on this concept above lets build a C major 7th

chord, (Cmaj7). Major 7th

chords are constructed fromthe root, 3

rd, 5

th, and 7

th, (1,3,5,7), degrees of the major scale. The major 7

thchord is actually built off the major as

it has the root, 3rd

, and 5th

degrees in it and then we add the 7th

making it a major 7th chord. In the key of C majorthe root or 1

stdegree is a C, the 3

rdis an E, and the 5

this a G. Lets draw out the C major scale again and begin

counting degrees. The 7th

degree in C major is a B. So put all the notes for a C major 7th chord together and wehave the root, 3

rd, 5

th, and 7

thand if we count degrees as illustrated below we have C, E, G, and B.


C, E, G, B = C major 7th

chord, (abbreviated Cmaj7)

Lets look at an open C major chord illustrated on the left. Like all major chords it isconstructed from the root, 3rd

, and 5th

degrees of the major scale. In the key of C major thenotes would be C, E, and G as constructed from the C major scale illustrated above.Playing these notes on the guitar neck is a C major chord. So you can grab these threenotes from anywhere on the guitar neck and play them together andyou have a C majorchord or some inversion of a C major chord. Now you can see from these threeillustrations how the notes in a chord are constructed from a scale and their relationshipdegree chordal wise.

C

X 3 2 0 1 0


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Lets try this same principle but this time we are going to change keys to G major. Remember, as discussed in thelesson above, all major keys are constructed in the same fashion. The G major scale has one sharp or accidental,(F#). The key of G major is the only major key with one sharp. Here are the notes of the G major scale:

G major scale = G, A, B, C, D, E, F#

Lets draw out the G major scale and start counting. Starting on the root note G, count to the third degree and youhave a B note. In the key of G major the third is the B. Now count to the 5

thdegree and you have a D note. In the

key of G major the 5th

is a D. Now put the three together as shown in the illustration below and you have a Gmajor chord root, 3

rd, fifth or G, B, D.

G A B C D E F# G

.G major scale notes1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ..Scale degrees

G, B, D = G major chord, (abbreviated Gmaj or just G)

Expanding further with the G major scale lets build a G major 7th

chord, (Gmaj7). Major 7th

chords are constructedfrom the root, 3

rd, 5

th, and 7

thdegrees of the major scale as discussed above. In the key of G major the root or 1

st

degree is a G, the 3rd

is a B, and the 5th

is a D. Lets draw out the G major scale again and begin countingdegrees. The 7

thdegree in G major is an F#. So put all the notes for a G major 7th chord together and we have

the root, 3rd

, 5th, and 7

thand if we count degrees as illustrated below we have G, B, D, and F#.

G A B C D E F# G.G major scale notes1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ..Scale degrees

G, B, D, F# = G major 7th

chord, (abbreviated Gmaj7)

Lets look at an open Cmaj7 chord illustrated on the left. Like all major 7t

chords it isconstructed from the root, 3

rd, 5

th,and 7

thdegrees of the major scale. In the key of C major

the notes would be C, E, G, and B as constructed from the C major scale as illustratedabove. Playing these notes on the guitar neck is a C major 7

thchord. So you can grab

these four notes from anywhere on the guitar neck and play them together and you have aCmaj7 chord or some inversion of a Cmaj7 chord.

Lets look at an open G major guitar chord illustrated on the left. Like all major chords it isconstructed from the root, 3

rd, and 5

thdegrees of the major scale. In the key of G major the

notes would be G, B, and D as constructed from the G major scale illustrated above.Playing these notes on the guitar neck is a G major chord. So you can grab these threenotes from anywhere on the guitar neck and play them together and you have a G major

chord or some inversion of a G major chord.

Lets look at an open Gmaj7 chord illustrated on the left. Like all major 7t

chords it iconstructed from the root, 3

rd, 5

th,and 7

thdegrees of the major scale. In the key of G major the

notes would be G, B, D, and F# as constructed from the G major scale as illustrated abovePlaying these notes on the guitar neck is a Gmaj7 chord or some inversion of a G major7chord.

G

2 1 0 0 3 4

Gma 7

2 X 0 0 0 1

Cma 7

X 3 2 0 0 0


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Building chords from the Major ScaleAs per the previous lesson we have learned that all music theory falls back to the major scale. The major scale isthe standard in music that all is compared. Now we will build chords from each degree of the major scale and youwill easily be able to know which chords are in any given major key. To find the notes in any major key, (majorscale), start at the root and go up following this pattern: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, wholestep, whole step, half step. This will take you to the root one octave higher than where you began, and willinclude all seven notes in the major key in that octave. Remember, any chord mightshow up in any given key,however, certain chords are much more likely to be in a given key than others. The most likely chords to show upin a given key are the chords made from combinations of the notes in that keys major scale. You'll find thatalthough the chords change from one key to the next, the pattern of major and minor type chords is always thesame for any major key. Lets examine the C major scale and build the chords in that key right from the scale.Follow this template to build the chords in any key.

If you start on C and skip every other note in the scale, also called stacking 3rds, for a total of 3, you have built aC major chord. The major chord follows the formula 1,3,5. So a C major chord is constructed from the three notes

C, E, and G, the root of the scale, the third note of the scale, and the fifth note of the scale.


C, E, G = C major chord, (abbr. Cmaj or just C)

Now do the exact same thing stacking thirds except this time start on the D note. The D is the second degree or2

ndnote, II, of the C major scale so just keep stacking thirds, we then have the three notes that construct a D

chord and if we examine those 3 notes, D,F,A, we see its a D minor chord, (as illustrated below).


D, F, A = D minor chord, (abbreviated Dm)

The process of stacking 3rd notes up in the major scale continues until you have a total of 7 chords, one for eachnote of the scale. Each note of the scale refers to a chord, 7 notes in the scale so 7 chords. Each major key will

have a total of seven chords.

C D E F G A B C - E,G,B =Em (E minor chord)

C D E F G A B C- F,A,C =F (F major chord)C D E F G A B C D - G,B,D =G (G major chord)

C D E F G A B C D E- A,C,E =Am (A minor chord)

C D E F G A B C D E F- B,D,F = Bo (B diminished chordBecause major scales are always built from stacking thirds, the pattern is always the same for every major key.The chords built on the first, fourth, and fifth degrees of the scale are major type chords (I, IV, and V). The chordsbuilt on the second, third, and sixth degrees of the scale are minor type chords (ii, iii, and vi). The c

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